Nikolai Valuev:The Beast from the East

With a towering figure of 7.0 ft it, comes with little surprise former Russian heavyweight boxer, Nikolai Valuev, is nicknamed Beast from the East.

The 42-year-old used his imposing figure to his advantage by intimidating opponents and that resulted in him becoming a two-time heavyweight champion.

Since his retirement, Valuev has found a new love in acting where he is persuing it as full time, but his first role was a cameo appearance in a German movie in 2006. He has also participated in several video advertising and photos for various products.

He signed a five-year deal with a German sausage manufacturer to make him the face of the company’s advertisement and also has plans to open a family restaurant in Germany.

In 2011, the Russian became a member of the Duma (assembly) through the United Russia Party in an election. He also became the General Manager of the Russia national bandy team and has also established the Nikolai Valuev Boxing School.

He has three young children, daughter Irina and son Grisha (Grigoriy), his third child, son Sergei, and he is married to Galina Valueva.